Sandeshkhali case: WB seeks urgent listing of plea in SC against transfer of probe to CBI

NEW DELHI: The West Bengal government on Wednesday sought an urgent hearing of its plea in Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order that directed a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter pertaining to an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5 this year. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Urgency is that they wanted overnight compliance in an interim order."

The Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked the advocate to move before the Chief Justice of India as he will order the listing of the plea. Earlier on Tuesday, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order directing a CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali matter, which pertains to the attack on ED officials.

Earlier this year, in January, ED officials came under attack in the North 24 Parganas district while they were on their way to raid the homes of former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adhya and Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with the ration 'scam' case. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court transferred to the CBI the Sandehskhali case, which pertains to the attack on ED officials. After weeks of no action, on February 29 Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police after which West Bengal's Basirhat Court remanded him to 10-day police custody.

Following Shahjahan's arrest, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that he had been "put under the hospitality" of the state police in a bid to avoid arrest by the ED and the CBI. Tension rose in Sandeshkhali after hundreds of women on the island came out on the streets against Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing him of perpetrating sexual abuse and other excesses on them along with his henchmen.